This invention is related generally to motor vehicles and, more particularly, to connectors between a towing vehicle and a trailing vehicle.
Many trailer-tow vehicle combinations are coupled together with a xe2x80x9cfifth-wheelxe2x80x9d hitch. The hitch commonly is composed of a male kingpin on the trailer which couples with a female receiving plate attached by a frame with respect to the towing vehicle. This arrangement allows rotation of the kingpin within the plate in the plane of the traveled roadway to facilitate turning maneuvers. The plate is further attached to its frame in such a manner that it can pivot vertically about an axis to facilitate coupling and to provide a flex point in order that the towed vehicle can go up an incline out of a trough at the same time the trailer is going down an incline into a trough. While this hitch allows for relative motion, it maintains a mechanical connection between the vehicles through which non-rotational, vertical, inertial motion is translated between the vehicles.
The hitch type is used in the trucking industry coupling semi-tractor/trailer combinations. The hitch also has non-industrial application such as in the towing of a camper or small mobile home through the use of a pick-up truck. When used in the non-industrial setting, a frame supporting a standardized hitch is installed into the bed of a pick-up truck, typically through the bolting of the hitch into the bed of the truck.
It has long been recognized that occupants of the cab of a towing vehicle will experience discomfort due to vibrations of the trailer translated through the hitch. These vibrations are created in part because of relative motion between the two coupled vehicles as they pass over the discontinuities on the surface of roads at different times. These discontinuities include, but are not limited to ruts, potholes, waves, and small peaks and valleys on the road surface.
The use of air bellows to address the relative motion of the two vehicles is not novel.
Eight patents have been issued which attempt to address the problem by placing the motion-dampening bellows between the frame of the towing vehicle and the fifth-wheel frame.
The Schult et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,546, Hein U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,907, and Fenton U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,341 all seek to address the vibrational problem through the placement of air bellows-type devices between the kingpin and the trailer.
Granning U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,758, Berends U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,273, Tagg et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,430, Modat U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,716, Adams U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,198, Vitale et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,106, Kolstad et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,806, and Harrold U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,850 attempt to address the vibrational coupling problem by placing the air bellows between the frame of the fifth-wheel mount and the frame of the towing vehicle. Such an arrangement addresses the vertical inertia but does not address the rotational inertia felt about the pivot of the fifth-wheel plate.
Chalmers (U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,409) attempted to address the rotational inertia problem through a complex system involving air bellows. In addition to the pivot of the fifth-wheel plate in relation to its mounting, Chalmers introduced two other pivots, the first between the fifth-wheel frame and the towing vehicle frame and the second pivot between the kingpin and the trailer. Chalmers then introduced an air bag to the aft of the kingpin between the kingpin plate and the trailer and a second air bellow between the fifth-wheel frame and the towing vehicle frame.
Conversely, Funk (U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,470) attempts to dampen rotational inertia by placing an air bellow between the towing vehicle and the trailing vehicle irrespective of the fifth-wheel plate pivot point.
There is a need for improvement in the fifth-wheel hitches of the prior art which provide significantly less translation of vibration from the trailer to the cab of the towing vehicle.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved connector apparatus for detachably, attaching a trailing vehicle to a towing vehicle overcoming some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is dampening the relative motion transmitted between the towing vehicle and the trailing vehicle due to the unevenness of the traveled surface.
Another object is to provide a smoother ride for the occupants of the cab of a towing vehicle.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a motion-dampening device that does not require modification of the kingpin hitch of the trailing vehicle.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a motion-dampening device suitable for use by non-commercial consumers who pull personal-use trailers with lighter-duty towing vehicles.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a dampening device that is adjustable depending on the load of the trailer.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a motion-dampening device which may be retrofit onto a towing vehicle without the need for new mounting fittings.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a dampening device which may be integrated as part of a towing vehicle.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings.
The invention involves a novel connector apparatus for detachably, attaching a trailing vehicle to a towing vehicle, comprising: a base structure having a top, and front and rear portions; a kingpin-receiving plate having a front side and a back side, attached with respect to the top of the base structure and pivotable with respect thereto about a substantially horizontal cross-axis; a front bottom deck with an upper surface, attached with respect to the front side of the base structure; a rear bottom deck with an upper surface, attached with respect to the rear side of the base structure; a front top deck with a lower surface, attached with respect to the front side of the kingpin-receiving plate thereby defining a gap of a distance between the upper surface of the front bottom deck and the lower surface of the front top deck; a rear top deck with a lower surface, attached with respect to the rear side of the kingpin-receiving plate thereby defining a gap of a distance between the upper surface of the front bottom deck and the lower surface of the front top deck; and resilient, motion-dampening devices between the upper surfaces of the bottom decks and the lower surfaces of the top decks whereby a change in the distance between the upper surface of the bottom deck and the lower surface of the top deck is resisted. The kingpin-receiving plate is not necessarily flat and can be more saddle-like.
In one preferred embodiment, the resilient motion-dampening device is fluid filled. It is preferred that the fluid-filled resilient motion-dampening device is an air bellow. In another embodiment of this version of the invention, a plurality of shock absorbers is attached with respect to the top decks and bottom decks. It is most preferred that a pair of shock absorbers is attached with respect to the top decks and the base.
Another aspect of this invention is a novel connector apparatus for detachably, attaching a trailing vehicle to a towing vehicle, comprising: a base structure having a top, and front and rear portions; a fifth-wheel plate having a front side and a back side, attached with respect to the top of the base structure and pivotable with respect thereto about a substantially horizontal cross-axis; a front deck with an upper surface, attached with respect to the towing-vehicle bed on the front side of the base structure; a rear deck with an upper surface, attached with respect to the towing-vehicle bed on the rear side of the base structure; a front arm with a lower surface, attached with respect to the front side of the fifth-wheel plate thereby defining a gap of a distance between the upper surface of the front deck and the lower surface of the front arm; a rear arm with a lower surface, attached with respect to the rear side of the fifth-wheel plate thereby defining a gap of a distance between the upper surface of the front deck and the lower surface of the front arm; and resilient, motion-dampening devices between the upper surfaces of the bottom decks and the lower surfaces of the arms whereby a change in the distance between the upper surface of the bottom deck and the lower surface of the arm is resisted.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the resilient motion-dampening devices are fluid filled. It is highly preferred that the fluid-filled resilient motion-dampening devices are air bellows. In addition to the air bellows, it is preferable to include a plurality of shock absorbers attached with respect to the top decks and bottom decks. It is most preferred that the plurality of shock absorbers constitute a pair of shock absorbers attached with respect to the arms and the base.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide an improvement to a connector apparatus for detachably attaching a trailing vehicle to a towing vehicle, of the fifth-wheel type having a kingpin-receiving plate pivotably attached to a base mounted to a bed of the towing vehicle, wherein the improvement comprises: a forward top plate with a lower face, attached with respect to the kingpin-receiving plate; a rearward top plate with a lower face, attached with respect to the kingpin-receiving plate; and resilient, motion-dampening devices between the lower surfaces of the top decks and the bed of the towing vehicle whereby a change in the distance between the lower surface of the top deck and the bed of the towing vehicle is resisted.
It is preferred that the motor vehicle connector further include resilient motion-dampening devices which are fluid filled. It is more preferable that the fluid-filled resilient motion-dampening devices are air bellows. In another embodiment of this version of the invention, a plurality of shock absorbers are attached with respect to the top decks and bottom decks. It is most preferred that a pair of shock absorbers is attached with respect to the top decks and the base.